Welcome to the UK-Skeptics' forum.

[chaggle]

Welcome. :wavey:

(and don't open the box)

Hi. Take the moneyO0

[angelrose]

Hi I am new to this forum and am looking forward to joining in with your discussions. Good luck.

[DrS]

Hi angelrose, nice name ... and hello to other recent newbies too O0

[Lamb of god]

Hi everyone, looks a cool place to hangout :smiley:

[Halcyon Daze]

Hi folks. I read where I cannot edit my profile or access options until I post. I am from South Dakota, but shocking news, I could find no active skeptic's board in the USA. Since I have posted for years on the BBC's Ethics and Freethought board (where very little freethinking is actually tolerated by those mods), I'm fairly aware of the differences and similarities between our respective cultures.

I have yet to browse the postings, and maybe I might know a couple of you. That would be nice.

HD

[Lord Muck oGentry]

Hello, HD.

I'm a bit surprised to hear that you could find no active skeptics' boards in the USA.
But you are welcome here. I hope you enjoy the discussion.

[Halcyon Daze]

Thanks Lord Muck.


Hello, HD.

I'm a bit surprised to hear that you could find no active skeptics' boards in the USA.

I was a bit surprised the first time I looked, more like disheartened this time, because it's been a decade. What boards I found, looked nice, and promised much, but had very few active members, and in one case hadn't had a thread started since 2004.

I don't count atheist or Bright forums, because I am as skeptical about those folks and their beleif system and/or agenda as I am about any other group. It's clear USA skeptics are not in need of much fellowship, or perhaps they have been so used to being isolated and misunderstood they have given up trying to make hail and well met with others like themselves.

Most of the folks in my part of the ciountry can't see past the nose on their face, but they do like levity, and talking about sports, so I stick to that area and we get along just fine. :smiley:

HD

[DrS]

Hi HD, welcome. Hope you find it enough to your taste here to stick around. :smiley:

[Matt]

Hi HD,

Just FYI there are skeptical places with more US members but we're better in oh so many ways 8-)

http://forums.randi.org/
http://www.skepticalcommunity.com/

You may have already stumbled accross them.

Welcome to UKS

[skbuncks]

Hi HD,

Just FYI there are skeptical places with more US members but we're better in oh so many ways 8-)

http://forums.randi.org/
http://www.skepticalcommunity.com/

You may have already stumbled accross them.

Welcome to UKS

There is also The Skeptics Guide to the Universe (http://sguforums.com/index.php?sid=de6dbd464accdee0a22232601fca5599) if you like mixing porn with your skepticism.

Oh, an hi from me also

skb

[panama]

Hi all. I've been hanging around here for a week or so and I'm loving it. Great site/forum.

[Halcyon Daze]

Hi HD,

Just FYI there are skeptical places with more US members but we're better in oh so many ways 8-)

http://forums.randi.org/
http://www.skepticalcommunity.com/

You may have already stumbled accross them.

Welcome to UKS

Thank you for the links, Matt. I'll give them a look. And as far as you Brits being better in oh so many ways...that has been ny experience, when it comes to forums like this. I'll still take you to task if i disagree, but I appreciate the Brit sense of humor and take on things, which is saying something, as I am an unapologetic misanthrope.

HD

[Littleoaks]

Hi, I have been reading the site for a few weeks and decided to take the plunge and join up, keep up the good work and I'll try to contribute where and when I can.

[FarSideOfTheMoon]

Welcome LittleOaks:smiley:

[Croydon Bob]

I was going to try to do a joke involving "Big Acorns" but then I remembered that unfunny attempts at humour are Polomint's responsibility.

Welcome.

[DrS]

Hi Littleoaks and welcome! Look forward to reading your posts. O0

[Queequeg]

Hi people. Greetings from Kent. I feel I may have found a new home here.
:cheesy:

[Croydon Bob]

Hi people. Greetings from Kent.

:wavey:Hi! I can almost see you from here in the civilised bit of the SE.

[XtalDave]

Halllooooo.

Newbie from the North west.. looking for a SITP around Manchester...

[chaggle]

Halllooooo.

Newbie from the North west.. looking for a SITP around Manchester...

Hi. :wavey:

I gather the north west is a bit wet and windy at the moment. Bad news>:-)

Come in - it's warm and friendly here.

[Gavin Schofield]

Hi, my names Gavin, and as luck would have it me and a friend are starting up a Skeptics group around Manchester - I'm looking at you XtalDave ;). I'll PM you the details, so I don't appear to be some kind of hideous advertising robot.

I've not posted on a forum for a long time, but this place looks friendly and sensible, so I'll do my best here!

[polomint38]

Hi, my names Gavin, and as luck would have it me and a friend are starting up a Skeptics group around Manchester - I'm looking at you XtalDave ;). I'll PM you the details, so I don't appear to be some kind of hideous advertising robot.

I've not posted on a forum for a long time, but this place looks friendly and sensible, so I'll do my best here!

Welcome Gav :wavey:

Don't be shy, get stuck in. O0

[Scratchyr]

Hello all, I'm a skeptic from Southend-on-Sea, so you can imagine why I am skeptical. looking forward to see you around the site. :smiley:

[R. Bear]

Hello from glorious Warrington!

[polomint38]

Hello from glorious Warrington!

Welcome to UK Skeptics and to be quite honest, you are welcome to it. :smiley:

:wavey::wavey::wavey::wavey::wavey:

[DrS]

Hello and welcome, Queequeg, XtalDave, Gavin Schofield, Scratchyr and R Bear O0

Scratchy and Bear .... >:D

[cookson]

Hi all, brand new on the forum and its good to be here.

[Dr B]

Hi, my names Gavin, and as luck would have it me and a friend are starting up a Skeptics group around Manchester - I'm looking at you XtalDave ;). I'll PM you the details, so I don't appear to be some kind of hideous advertising robot.

I've not posted on a forum for a long time, but this place looks friendly and sensible, so I'll do my best here!

Welcome Gavin, pull up a chair and make yourself at home.

[Dr B]

Welcome to UK Skeptics and to be quite honest, you are welcome to it. :smiley:

:wavey::wavey::wavey::wavey::wavey:


what on earth could you mean ;)

[cookson]

How many posts do i need to make before i can post on the other threads?

[polomint38]

what on earth could you mean ;)

Just an old gag. O0

[bindeweede]

How many posts do i need to make before i can post on the other threads?

You should be able to post on any thread, but you won't be able to post links until after your 15th, I think it is.

Welcome, by the way.

[Croydon Bob]

Just an old gag.

Polomint doesn't know any new ones.

Or funny ones. :sad:

[balder]

Hi,glad to be here and looking forward to posting.

[polomint38]

Hi,glad to be here and looking forward to posting.

Looking forward to hearing your posts. O0

[andyfranz]

Good Morning all,

This is in fact my first ever post on anything. Is it sad that I find this a little exciting? perhaps I should get out more... Looking forward to having my mind expanded in a plethora of directions with good old (and new)science

Speak soon.

[skbuncks]

Good Morning all,

This is in fact my first ever post on anything. Is it sad that I find this a little exciting? perhaps I should get out more... Looking forward to having my mind expanded in a plethora of directions with good old (and new)science

Speak soon.

Its only sad in the same way that I'm excited about making my 600th post. Anyway, welcome to you andyfranz and anyone else who happens to have joined since the last time I said welcome.

skb

[DrS]

And welcome from me too, and to cookson and balder. Look forward to reading your posts. :smiley:

Congrats on 600 skb O0

[polomint38]

And welcome from me too, and to cookson and balder. Look forward to reading your posts. :smiley:

Congrats on 600 skb O0

Although a long way to catch up to DrS here. ::)

ETA: didn't notice I was on 738.

JJ, is there a list of the highest posters. Also who has posted the most amount in the shortest time of joining?

[Matt]

Hello all, I'm a skeptic from Southend-on-Sea, so you can imagine why I am skeptical. looking forward to see you around the site. :smiley:

Woot! another Southend Skeptic.

[FarSideOfTheMoon]

Although a long way to catch up to DrS here. ::)

ETA: didn't notice I was on 738.

JJ, is there a list of the highest posters. Also who has posted the most amount in the shortest time of joining?

Have you ever looked at the bottom of the main page?

[anaconda]

Hi, first post after having a bit of a mooch around the site. Im from Merseyside, and found you via a humanist site (not as a result of any spiritual transmogrification or owt like that you understand!)

I made the initial mistake of reading the 'filming aliens/rods in the sky' thread but was encouraged to see the common sense majority have dismissed such cobblers.

Looking forward to discussions on this and that.

[the_boab2002]

Hi my name is boab. I've been looking for a place to vent for a while and this place looks perfect!

Looking forward to posting here.

boab ;D

[polomint38]

Welcome boab O0

[tenplus1]

Heyas...

[abarawoof]

Hi All,
I'm very glad that I'm hear on the right place at last...
Hope I will enjoy hear after. Thanks for UK-skeptic forum.
Regards
Aba Rawoof

[chaggle]

Hi All,
I'm very glad that I'm hear on the right place at last...
Hope I will enjoy hear after. Thanks for UK-skeptic forum.
Regards
Aba Rawoof

'lo:wavey:

[Graham Lappin]

Hey John (and others who may have been involved) very swanky new website O0

[Stompy]

Thank you for the welcome. Now I feel ready to laugh uneasily at our irrational world along with everyone else! Albeit with some philosophical digression about whether rationality really is ultimately preferable in all contexts. (This is because I am annoying).

[grammarking]

Hello all,

My name's Mike, I'm 20 (nearly 21), and I'm from Merseyside. I've been involved in the Think Humanism forum and I have a blog online (google the not so friendly humanist if you're interested), and in real life I'm involved in the Humanist Society at the University of Edinburgh and the Edinburgh Skeptics in the Pub, although I'm currently studying abroad in Spain and I'll be moving to Portugal in February. Thought it was about time I joined up here.

[chaggle]

Hi Mike Grammarking and welcome. I'm in Spain - whereabouts are you?

[grammarking]

I'm down in Malaga but like I say I'm moving to Coimbra in Portugal next month.

[chaggle]

I'm down in Malaga but like I say I'm moving to Coimbra in Portugal next month.

I'll wave at you as you drive past:wavey:

[Graham Lappin]

John - just testing. (aka bunny)

[bindeweede]

John - just testing. (aka bunny)

I think you are "adding the P".:eek3:

[Graham Lappin]

I think you are "adding the P".:eek3:

Better than taking the P (boom boom)

You are an insomniac obviously.

[bindeweede]

Better than taking the P (boom boom)

You are an insomniac obviously.

Well, I'm sure you know that the best cure for insomnia is..........;)

[Graham Lappin]

Well, I'm sure you know that the best cure for insomnia is..........;)

I am trying to think of a wise crack answer that won't get me thrown of the forum >:D

Might I therefore just be literal and say that you must mean temazepam surely?

[bindeweede]

I am trying to think of a wise crack answer that won't get me thrown of the forum >:D

Might I therefore just be literal and say that you must mean temazepam surely?

Actually, I was thinking of the old, feeble joke answer - " a good night's sleep":-[ but you have got me thinking of alternatives.>:D

PS. No, I am not making fun of people who suffer from insomnia.

[Graham Lappin]

Just on the off-chance anyone is confused, Bunny has decided to shake off the disguise, risk the hate mail from the believers (and assorted nutters) and use my real name. It is perhaps more honest but whether it is wise, we will wait and see.

[bindeweede]

Just on the off-chance anyone is confused, Bunny has decided to shake off the disguise, risk the hate mail from the believers (and assorted nutters) and use my real name. It is perhaps more honest but whether it is wise, we will wait and see.

I see from Google that you have been playing King Rat in "Dick Whittington" at the Wakefield Theatre Royal.

Or have I got something wrong?:eek3:

[Graham Lappin]

I see from Google that you have been playing King Rat in "Dick Whittington" at the Wakefield Theatre Royal.

Or have I got something wrong?:eek3:

Yes - completely wrong. My name sake is an actor (obviously) I am a scientist. (I think you are pulling my leg - right >:D).

Now here's something spooky. I did a post-doc at the University of Glasgow and the person that occupied the very same office a number of years before me was called Andrew Graham-Lappin. He is now a professor of inorganic chemistry (http://chemistry.nd.edu/faculty/detail/alappin/) at the University of Notre Dame. I have never met him but we have exchanged emails when either of us get papers to referee from otherwise confused journal editors.

Could this be just a coincidence? Yes, actually this is exactly what a coincidence is.

Anyway, for anyone remotely interested this is me here (http://www.linkedin.com/pub/graham-lappin/12/5b8/9ba). Let's move on quickly please.

[DrS]

Hi Graham, as Graham O0

[Graham Lappin]

Hi Graham, as Graham O0

You an insomniac like me? My excuse is that I am on US East Coast time.

[DrS]

Well my defence is that it's only just short of midnight here in Tenerife, so it's not so very late, but I do tend to be a late bird. My lectures and particularly language classes were never set before 10am, on the grounds that the students couldn't cope before then ...

;D

[Graham Lappin]

Well my defence is that it's only just short of midnight here in Tenerife, so it's not so very late, but I do tend to be a late bird. My lectures and particularly language classes were never set before 10am, on the grounds that the students couldn't cope before then ...

;D

Just before midnight is late for me but perhaps I am showing my age >:D

[sitpnottingham]

Hi there,

I am Andy Beale, I am the brave person trying to start Skeptics in the pub Nottingham. just wanted to say hi.
Cheers

Andy

[DrS]

Hi Andy, and good luck with it. Hello too to any other recent newbies. Welcome. O0

[shell on wheels]

howdy

Logging on easy and worth it to avoid spam, now to think of a smart question or comment.
That may not be quite so simple

[Mr.Smoketoomuch]

57 years old from Birmingham.
I promise to mis-use apostrophes where ever I can.
That's all for now, folks. I shall participate in topics only when I have something pertinent, informative, or witty to say.
I'll probably forget my password by tomorrow (like I did with my credit card), so if you dont' hear from me again, adios amigos.
-Dennis the Demon Spin-Bowler

[skbuncks]

Hola Mr.Smoketoomuch (and any others since my last welcome, please don't be offended if I don't mention you by name, I'm just lazy), and welcome.


57 years old from Birmingham.
I promise to mis-use apostrophes where ever I can.
Then you must try harder. Allow me to 'fix' this for you O0

Thats' all for now, folk's. I shall participate in topic's only when I have something pertinent, informative, or witty to say.
Ill probably forget my password by tomorrow (like I did with my credit card), so if you dont' hear from me again, adio's amigo's.
-Dennis the Demon Spin-Bowler

skb

ETA: If you click the 'remember me' box when logging on then you need never re-enter your password

[polomint38]

howdy

Logging on easy and worth it to avoid spam, now to think of a smart question or comment.
That may not be quite so simple

Don't worry, I've been here for over a year, no smart questions from me yet.:sad:

BTW what is your favourite cake and your favourite cheese? O0

[Mr.Smoketoomuch]

what is your favourite cake and your favourite cheese?

Cheesecake !

[chaggle]

Hello Mr.Smoketoomuch and shell on wheels and welcome to UKS :wavey:

[Mr Sean]

Just a quick 'hi' as I've recently joined. Hope to participate soon!

[Montag]

Hi

English expat living in Peru... Viva!!

Peru is ideal if you like the knit your own Muesli crowd!!!

[DrS]

Buenas, y bienvenido O0

[chaggle]

Buenas, y bienvenido O0

Seconded.

DrS Why is it "Buenas"? I've always think that it should be "Buenos" as I assumed it was short for "Buenos Dias". Here in Andalucia they sometimes say "bona dia" which is horrible>:-)

[DrS]

DrS Why is it "Buenas"? I've always think that it should be "Buenos" as I assumed it was short for "Buenos Dias". Here in Andalucia they sometimes say "bona dia" which is horrible>:-)I have no idea, to be honest, but I'd take a guess at it being elision. Spanish does this a huge amount, and in this case, you'd get the beginning of Buen(os) and the end of (di)as. :undecided:

[PaulW]

Checking in from Philadelphia! :smiley: Look forward to reading this site.

[amandria]

Hello everyone, im amandria, im looking forward to reading your posts and getting to know people, lots of love, xxxx mands

[JustElton]

Hello - I'm, well, just Elton. I'm new to the notion of a Skeptical movement ... but hell I'm a skeptic alright. I'm not a scientist, I'm not well read ... I'm fairly ignorant as it goes. But what I am is aggressive common sense.

[Croydon Bob]

Hello everyone, im amandria, im looking forward to reading your posts and getting to know people, lots of love, xxxx mands

Hello, welcome. My psychic powers tell me that you are a spiritualist... am I wrong?


Hello - I'm, well, just Elton. I'm new to the notion of a Skeptical movement ... but hell I'm a skeptic alright. I'm not a scientist, I'm not well read ... I'm fairly ignorant as it goes. But what I am is aggressive common sense.

Hello, welcome. You may be ignorant but even if you are then polomint will still out-ignoramus you.

[polomint38]

Hello, welcome. You may be ignorant but even if you are then polomint will still out-ignoramus you.

Where on the ignoramus scale of 1 - 10 do I sit? >:-)

[Croydon Bob]

Where on the ignoramus scale of 1 - 10 do I sit? >:-)

You think you reach whole numbers? :cheesy:

[archa1c]

Hi :cheesy:

[chaggle]

Hi :cheesy:

'Lo:wavey:

[DrS]

Hi to all newbies, look forward to seeing your posts. O0

[Connie]

Hello there!

I've been reading the forum for a couple of weeks and decided to do the right thing and sign up. The vaccination debate led me to seek out more information on Skepticism generally.

[chaggle]

'Morning Connie

[ChrisOfNottingham]

Hi there,

I am Andy Beale, I am the brave person trying to start Skeptics in the pub Nottingham. just wanted to say hi.
Cheers

Andy

I'm from Nottingham and always look with jealously at the fabulous Skeptics in the pub events in London. Unfortunately I have no organisational skills to offer and I don't network with the kind of people, speakers or attendees, that you need. But if you are looking for someone to turn up and drink some beer, then I'm your man.

Also, hi everybody.

[DrS]

Hi Connie and Chris, welcome to you both. O0

[steveio64]

Hi all, i've been lurking here for a while and decided I had to join. It's a very interesting site. I'm very much into conspiracy theories/facts.. but I'm also into the lighter side of life as well.. hope to meet you all on the forums..

[Tulpa]

:smiley: Hello everybody! I am unashamedly trying to ingratiate myself with the forum in order that I can edit my profile and get weaving!
Looking forwrd to participating here!

[skbuncks]

:smiley: Hello everybody! I am unashamedly trying to ingratiate myself with the forum in order that I can edit my profile and get weaving!
Looking forwrd to participating here!


Well, ingratiate away. O0

skb

[Andy Shed]

Hi, just a quick hello to all, i'm here to learn more about skepticism, see you around.

[chaggle]

Hi, just a quick hello to all, i'm here to learn more about skepticism, see you around.

Hi Andy:wavey:. Welcome to UKS.

[smudge]

Hi all!
I've been lurking for a few weeks and finally found time to register (what else is there to do on a Sunday night when Lark Rise to Comatose is on telly?!).

Smudge.

[lyndonius]

Hi

This is my first post to this site. I’m posting this mainly to edit my profile. It’s worth noting that I used to believe in all sorts of woo in my late teens early twenties but am now a devout sceptic/rationalist.

Are there any skeptics in the Cardiff area?

[skbuncks]

Hi, just a quick hello to all, i'm here to learn more about skepticism, see you around.


Hi all!
I've been lurking for a few weeks and finally found time to register (what else is there to do on a Sunday night when Lark Rise to Comatose is on telly?!).

Smudge.


Hi

This is my first post to this site. I’m posting this mainly to edit my profile. It’s worth noting that I used to believe in all sorts of woo in my late teens early twenties but am now a devout sceptic/rationalist.

Are there any skeptics in the Cardiff area?

Welcome all :wavey:

skb

[Jules]

Hi Folks,

Great forum, looking forward to contributing to discussions.

[chaggle]

:wavey: Hi Jules :wavey:

[Loki]

Hello! It took me some time to find this thread that was mentioned in the yellow window...

I'm new here. Discovered the main site a few weeks ago, and the forum somewhat after that. I hope you don't have issues with me posting here even though I'm not British (I'm Swedish) and more often than not write with American rather than British spelling:tongue:

[skbuncks]

Hello! It took me some time to find this thread that was mentioned in the yellow window...

I'm new here. Discovered the main site a few weeks ago, and the forum somewhat after that. I hope you don't have issues with me posting here even though I'm not British (I'm Swedish) and more often than not write with American rather than British spelling:tongue:

Hi Loki. No issues here O0.

skb

[chaggle]

Hello! It took me some time to find this thread that was mentioned in the yellow window...

I'm new here. Discovered the main site a few weeks ago, and the forum somewhat after that. I hope you don't have issues with me posting here even though I'm not British (I'm Swedish) and more often than not write with American rather than British spelling:tongue:

:wnw: A real Norse God!!

[skbuncks]

:wnw: A real Norse God!!
I thought he was a Jötunn. Anyway, I, for one, welcome our resurrected lycanthropic overlord.

skb

[DrS]

and welcome from me too, whether god or giant! O0

[Loki]

Thanks for the welcomes everyone!

[Captain Sanil Crastow]

Morning all,

Been listening to a lot of skeptical podcasts recently and one of them led me here. Looking forward to some interesting discussions.

[presto]

:smiley:Hello all
I'm looking forward to some philosophical, balanced, knowledgeable debate with people who are wiser than I am.
Regards
Presto

[Croydon Bob]

I'm looking forward to some philosophical, balanced, knowledgeable debate with people who are wiser than I am.


I'll get me coat then. :sad:

[Blank]

Hello all.

I'm hoping to find some good arguments I can use against conspiracy theorists.

[tolman]

Any particular kinds of CTs?

There does seem to be a significant subset of CTs who think that the bigger and more grandiose a theory, the better, even if it involves thousands of people, without questioning how thousands of people can be recruited for Evil without resukting in hundreds or thousands of people who'd decline the invitation.

These CTers seem to think that someone could turn up at the headquarters of the World Conspiracy (which has usually supposedly been running secretly for decades/centuries) and get taken seriously with a plan for staging some outrage which involved co-ordinating huge numbers of people when there would be countless vastly smaller plans that would have the same effect, and be much cheaper, more robust and reliable, and far less prone to potential leaks.

Likewise, the CTers don't see a plan which is apparently laced with incompetence from start to finish, as it would have to be to generate all the 'evidence' they claim to find, as being in any way incompatible with a supposed world conspiracy run by evil geniuses.

I assume there's some element of projection involved - if CTers actually ran a conspiracy themselves, it probably would be riddled with incompetence and grandiose overcomplication.

One suspects their image of conspiracies involves people with monocles sitting in island bases, stroking cats and killing underlings for serving their coffee slightly too warm.

[tolman]

CTers also don't seem to be very consistent in their assessment of the competence of the Great Conspiracy Organisation.

For example, supposedly (/11 was staged at immense expense, complexity and risk of exposure to justify war against Iraq.
Yet the conspiracy which supposedly managed a ridiculously complicated outing on 9/11 didn't even have the wit/ability to plant meaningful traces of WMDs anywhere in the country, which would seem to have been a pretty simple job.
Even one or two boobytraps using chemical weapon shells to kill a handful of coalition troops would have gone a long way to providing some justification for the invasion, and would seem fairly trivial for an evil conspiracy to arrange.

[The Inquisitor]

Hi all!

Happy to have found an intersting site that won't give me the bad type of headache

[skbuncks]

Hi all!

Happy to have found an intersting site that won't give me the bad type of headache

Hi The Inquisitor O0

So what, pray tell, is a good type of headache?

skb

[ChompChomp]

Hi people, my intentions are to be intelligent :-X

[Admin]

Hi people, my intentions are to be intelligent :-X

There's nothing like a good challenge is there? ;D

[gorgeousgertie]

Hello all!

New here,canny site.....look forward to some good discussions!

I'm interested in how people interpret things......and most other things too!!!

Like to think I'm open minded.....but realistic enough to know thats absolute pants,I've got my biases/preferences the same as we all have,and I'm interested in the reasons for my choices.....'devils advocate' is a role I cast myself in at times,but I have opinions on many things,however these can change daily;D,but that doesnt mean they will>:D!

Anyway,I'll let my posts reveal more about me,I'm not online lots though so will be here as and when possible!

[DrS]

Hello and welcome, look forward to seeing some of those opinions! O0

[PaulW99]

"Like to think I'm open minded"

Uh-oh. Different people seem to give this phrase different meanings. I always say that as the skeptic I'm the one who's open minded as I'm willing to change my mind immediately if there's convincing evidence. If the 911 hijackers give a press conference tomorrow then that's it, I'm convinced, it was all a set-up. CTers and believers, however, will never change their minds, no matter how much evidence you throw at them. Closed-minded is a more apt description.

I don't mean you, gorgeousgertie! Welcome.

[CrabsAntler]

Hi all.

Ended up here after the Derren Brown Investigates.. show as I was googling for info on the odious Joe Power and have spent the last few days reading through some of the more epic threads on the board.

Top stuff. Informative and amusing. My knowledge of logical fallacies has certainly improved, for one thing.

Thanks for allowing me into your treehouse.

p.s. I am quite prepared to change my mind about Power should he turn out not to be a petulant cash-hoovering fraud. ;)

[chaggle]

:shocked::wavey::knitter:

[tolman]

Oh, it's knitting!

At first glance, it looked rather like...

I'll get my coat.

[Rose]

Hi! Popped in for no particular reason, I just like forums and reading and learning about other people’s ideas and beliefs. A little bit about me; I enjoy meditation and Zen type philosophy but I’m not a religious person. I guess I do it more for the relaxation and peaceful mind. I love the internet and can’t imagine life without a computer. This looks like an interesting board. If it’d okay with you all, I might stick around for a while. :smiley:

[DrS]

Hi and welcome, good to have your company for a while. O0

[Rose]

Thank you.

I’ll check out the board some and read some posts - and the rules. Wouldn’t want to get kicked out. Thanks again for the welcome. :smiley:

[New_skeptic]

o hello i am new skeptic :smiley: i am an ex catholic who has been belife free for about 6 years . i am trying to learn as much as i can about what skeptics stand for and against and it has made some interesting reading . sorry this is'nt much of an intriduction but i can;t think of much to tell you right now !
one last thing i am very badly dyslexic . my spelling can leave a lot to be desired at times . feel free to ask me to re type something .

[PaulW99]

Hello new_skeptic and welcome to the forum. Good to hear you are a recovering believer!
I'm sure there's no problem with you typing any way you want to type but if I might make a suggestion, you could try putting your posts in a program like MS Word beforehand so that it can pick out all the typos for you with its spellchecker and grammar check.

I think lots of mail programs have spellcheckers too.

Again, welcome!

[chaggle]

Hi new_skeptic - :wavey:good to have you aboard.

Actually this forum spell checks my posts - doesn't it check yours Paul?:confused:

[PaulW99]

Hi new_skeptic - :wavey:good to have you aboard.

Actually this forum spell checks my posts - doesn't it check yours Paul?:confused:

Uh, no. Or maybe I haven't spelled anything wrong yet??

Oh, I see an ABC icon as I'm typing this post but it wants me to download something in order to do a spellcheck. Maybe later.

[yunged]

Hi Everyone

New member here from Bristol (any other bristolians here?)

8-)

[chaggle]

Hi Everyone

New member here from Bristol (any other bristolians here?)

8-)

Yup (well North Somerset really), but now I'm a long way away.

[Derek]

Hello UK-Skeptics.

Having just discovered this forum, I thought I'd join openly.
I'm usually more often found at, [a global warming deniers' forum].
(http://www.globalwarmingskeptics.info/forums/index.php)

[Admin]

Welcome Derek.

I look forward to seeing your views on global warming - as I'm sure we're going to get them!

[Derek]

Welcome Derek.

I look forward to seeing your views on global warming - as I'm sure we're going to get them!

Thanks for the welcome John.
Do you know me per chance...;D

[PurpleBint]

Hello everyone :)

I stumbled across a link to this forum whilst doing some reading ready for a Skeptics in the Pub talk I'm off to tonight.

:wavey:

[Spaceboy]

Greetings skeptics and debunkers! The wife (Purplebint) stumbled me this so thought it only polite to register ;)

Also off to the Leicester talk this evening, and very much looking forward to it! >:D

[petertarwin]

Hello

I am very new here but hope to start posting once I find my way around the forum. Thanks for letting me in

regards to all
Peter

[chaggle]

Hi:wavey:

[spanner]

I've just joined. Popped in recently, liked what I saw, might stay. Sceptism is about throwing a spanner in the works, hence my moniker.:smiley:

[chaggle]

I've just joined. Popped in recently, liked what I saw, might stay. Sceptism is about throwing a spanner in the works, hence my moniker.:smiley:

Hi spanner - plenty of nuts to screw here:smiley:

[PJDunnit]

Hi, just registered so i thought I'd pop in and say hello.

*Doffs cap*

It's nice to be around fellow skeptics, as I'm surrounded by woo heads. Yoga Nazis, militant raw food vegan-ites, homeopaths, NWO paranoid types. Even David Icke-ers :scared:. Yea, i know them all. ::)

[smudge]

Hi, just registered so i thought I'd pop in and say hello.

*Doffs cap*

It's nice to be around fellow skeptics, as I'm surrounded by woo heads. Yoga Nazis, militant raw food vegan-ites, homeopaths, NWO paranoid types. Even David Icke-ers :scared:. Yea, i know them all. ::)

Hi there!
Sounds scary where you are....;)

[PJDunnit]

Hi there!
Sounds scary where you are....;)

North London here. I'll try and update my profile when i can figure out how to.

[Harryprice]

What's wrong with vegans? I'm not one myself but I know some. They can be a bit over serious at times but otherwise seem OK to me.

[PJDunnit]

What's wrong with vegans? I'm not one myself but I know some. They can be a bit over serious at times but otherwise seem OK to me.

Hi Harryprice :wavey:

I wasn't having a pop at all vegans, and i do know quite a few myself. It's just i have to put up with a lot of unsubstantiated drivel about super food this, and cancer curing food that - these are the people i was referring to.

Take my mum for example, no qualms about telling me the percentage of puss and urine in dairy products, while I'm happily munching on my cheese and tomato sarnie.

[PJDunnit]

Hi there!
Sounds scary where you are....;)

And hi smudge by the way :wavey:

[Harryprice]

Hi Harryprice :wavey:

I wasn't having a pop at all vegans, and i do know quite a few myself. It's just i have to put up with a lot of unsubstantiated drivel about super food this, and cancer curing food that - these are the people i was referring to.

Take my mum for example, no qualms about telling me the percentage of puss and urine in dairy products, while I'm happy munching on my cheese and tomato sarnie.

I read an article in New Scientist recently that said, in essence, how healthy you are during your life is primarily down to what you eat, then where you live (as in your environment) and finally your genes as a distant third. So maybe they have a point ... :smiley:

[PJDunnit]

I read an article in New Scientist recently that said, in essence, how healthy you are during your life is primarily down to what you eat, then where you live (as in your environment) and finally your genes as a distant third. So maybe they have a point ... :smiley:

I'm not disputing that a healthy diet isn't worth your while. But to claim that a food can 'cure' and not 'help to prevent' cancer is a pretty bold claim.

[Harryprice]

I'm not disputing that a healthy diet isn't worth your while. But to claim that a food can 'cure' and not 'help to prevent' cancer is a pretty bold claim.

I didn't realise people were claiming food could cure cancer. I think we'd all need to see solid evidence for that one!

[PJDunnit]

I didn't realise people were claiming food could cure cancer. I think we'd all need to see solid evidence for that one!

I do hear a lot of woo.

[DrS]

Hi PJD, surrounded by woo myself, so I sympathise. Welcome. O0

[BioLogicalNerd]

I have nothing original to say, I'm glad to be here- the woo was getting to my head :cheesy:

[Pebble]

I have nothing original to say, I'm glad to be here- the woo was getting to my head :cheesy:

Welcome to this largely woo free space - not entirely sterilised simply a vigorous response whenever some gets under the barrier.

[sandgrinder]

Hello, all :smiley:

I stumbled onto your site trying to find out information about who was behind the BBC5 website (http://www.ukskeptics.com/forum/showthread.php/4571-BBC5-%28fake-website%29) and once here, thought ... "What the heck!" ... so I joined.


May I ask ...
What is 'woo'?

I'm guessing it's the sort of stuff that has people asserting earthquakes are part of some grand conspiracy on the part of the New World Order and/or harbingers of the end of the world in 2012.
If I'm correct in that guess ... then I, too, am suffering from a surfeit of woo.
And it's doin' me head in :huh:

I'm not looking for arguments (I'm not very good at 'em anyways) ... I certainly don't want to 'prove a point' ... a sensible discussion would be nice, once in a while ... and a laugh ... and good links (I like good link).

If you don't mind, I'll have a look around here and see what's going down.

Ta, for your time, if you've read this 8-)

Grindy.

[bindeweede]

Hello, all :smiley:

I stumbled onto your site trying to find out information about who was behind the BBC5 website (http://www.ukskeptics.com/forum/showthread.php/4571-BBC5-%28fake-website%29) and once here, thought ... "What the heck!" ... so I joined.


May I ask ...
What is 'woo'?

I'm guessing it's the sort of stuff that has people asserting earthquakes are part of some grand conspiracy on the part of the New World Order and/or harbingers of the end of the world in 2012.
If I'm correct in that guess ... then I, too, am suffering from a surfeit of woo.
And it's doin' me head in :huh:

I'm not looking for arguments (I'm not very good at 'em anyways) ... I certainly don't want to 'prove a point' ... a sensible discussion would be nice, once in a while ... and a laugh ... and good links (I like good link).

If you don't mind, I'll have a look around here and see what's going down.

Ta, for your time, if you've read this 8-)

Grindy.

Welcome, Grindy. Do have a good look round, I'm sure you'll find plenty to interest you.

Yes, conspiracy theories come into the category, together with magical beliefs, pseudoscience and anti-science, claims that have not been well tested or for which the evidence is poor.

If I've missed anything, I guarantee someone will put me right.:smiley:

[sandgrinder]

Thanks for that, bindeweede.
Appreciated :smiley:

[Lowrider]

Hows it goin? Was bored just flicking through the internet looking for something interesting when i came across this site.

And i have to say it sounds right up my street!

I dont believe religous superstition, mainstream media or anything my government tells me to name but a few.

Gonna have a look around and see what u guys r sayin, see u's soon

[Lowrider]

Hows it goin? Was bored just flicking through the internet looking for something interesting when i came across this site.

And i have to say it sounds right up my street!

I dont believe religous superstition, mainstream media or anything my government tells me to name but a few.

Gonna have a look around and see what u guys r sayin, see u's soon

P.S. What is woo??

[sandgrinder]

[.....]
P.S. What is woo??

See what bindeweede says above (http://www.ukskeptics.com/forum/showthread.php/3-Welcome-to-the-UK-Skeptics-forum.?p=91003&viewfull=1#post91003), Lowrider ::)

But I've also just come across this entry (http://skepticwiki.org/index.php/Woo) in the Skepticwiki (http://skepticwiki.org/index.php/Main_Page), which also happens to note:

Since the term is almost always used derisively, it is not surprising that some people find it unnecessarily offensive, particularly when applied to them or their own beliefs.
... so it's probably best not used unless offence is intended >:D

[chaggle]

Hi both and welcome :wavey:

Woos are also the people who hold these strange beliefs - "She's very nice but she's a bit of a woo"

Some woos have taken the term as a "badge of honour".

I have also heard that it might be an acronym of "Waste Of Oxygen":undecided:

[omdaddi]

Hello everyone, Thomas here.

Ah, the "woo". I accompanied a group of young people on an activities holiday. Imagine my shock when bibles were handed out and the first meal started with:

"This is the bible, it is full of prophesies, most of which have come true and the rest that certainly will." :shocked:

I don't know what happened next because I walked out. >:-)

Anyway, we talked. He was a new Earth creationist and bible literal truthist. We wanted to trampoline. We found signs all around the place saying "the bible will be discussed at all meal times". Talk about a hospital pass. So, we talked. I agreed not to walk out with the kids if he avoided the _woo_ and talked about reasonable "be nice" stuff. It was a long four days but we got there just about.

I am tired of the craziness around me where I live at the moment (long story) and hope to find people here with whom I can share some sense and critical thinking.O0

[John Revolting]

Hi there.

This appears to be the starting point for new members.

I am a long suffering individual who is absolutely exhausted after dealing with certain people in my family and social circle who are conspiracy theorists, religious obsessives, 9/11 truthers, crystal worshipping hippies & Daily Mail reactionaries.

Many of these folks view the rest of humanity almost as a sub-species of 'brainwashed sheep'. It is infuriatingly arrogant behaviour and I have to deal with it on a daily basis.

I am so tired of having to endlessly debate and argue with these folks. I have come here to see if there are ways in which others cope with these people. I need to learn some ways of avoiding confrontation. I have no desire to 'convert' them to my way of thinking. I just want them to stop trying to convert me!

Look forward to seeing more of you all.

[DrS]

Hi, and I do sympathise. I live in Tenerife and if you ever feel like a break from woo land, I urge you not to come here. ;D

Welcome O0

[John Revolting]

Hi, and I do sympathise. I live in Tenerife and if you ever feel like a break from woo land, I urge you not to come here. ;D

Welcome O0

Why thank you.

Is this some sort of new religious phenomenon?

Ever since 9/11 it's been Zionists this, NWO that, Illuminati this, Reptillians that...

These people are clearly WRONG in the eyes of any rational person.

The world is f*cked up - We all know that, but PLEASE! Space Aliens? Religious Cults controlling everything? It's impossible and it's a load of nonsense.

I don't even need to write why.

Am I in good company here? I certainly hope so.

[DrS]

I think you're in very good company! ;D

Only this last two days I've been having a change from my usual woo battling here and have engaged instead with a couple of Daily Mail reactionaries. It wasn't intentional, I just happened to mention what I thought of the poisonous rabble-rousing malicious lying rag. That was how I found out they were Mail readers. Just shows, you can't always tell ... >:D

[Croydon Bob]

Many of these folks view the rest of humanity almost as a sub-species of 'brainwashed sheep'. It is infuriatingly arrogant behaviour and I have to deal with it on a daily basis.

I find it's the people who can't think for themselves, who don't consider anything rationally, but just blindly believe any old nonsense they are told by nutters like Icke, who then call the smart people "sheeple".

[Roqsan]

Hello everyone,

I came across the site when, having seen the sickly TV coverage, I was trying to check whether anyone had sufficiently refuted Ratzinger's anti-atheist rhetoric and generally given him a hard time about contraceptives etc. Seems like Dawkins did a pretty good job at the protest rally :).

[docpaul]

Hello!

Is this the right thread for introductions?

Found you from a tweet about $tupid$cientology!
I've just joined the forum to try to find other skeptics or like minded people in or around High Wycombe, Bucks for drinks and conversation - and even the odd curry!!

Regards,
Paul

[Jimmy]

Hello - just found a link here from BlagHag - delighted to do so.

Are there any sceptics here based in Jersey, CI - as I am?

Cheers,

Jimmy

[chaggle]

Hello all and welcome. :wavey: Looking forward to your posts.:smiley:

[InquiringDeist]

I like it here!
O0

[asydhouse]

Hi everyone:party:
Sometimes it feels like everyone else lives in a different world, they are all trying to live in a medieval world view... why?! :rain:

I'm really glad I've found my way here, and I'm looking forward to coming here for my R&R when I am fed up with the bullshit storms :sunbathing:
Cheers! a Syd

[DrS]

Hi, and welcome! You're among like minds ... most of the time! ;D

[L.E.N.]

hi everybody!

i'm a secular humanist from germany and would like to find likeminded people from the UK and share my views in several issues.
i also would love to improve my english and hope you can help me.

cheers,

Lenny

[chaggle]

Hi Lenny and welcome. Your English seems pretty good to me, but remember that we start sentences with capital letters.;)

[L.E.N.]

Hi Lenny and welcome. Your English seems pretty good to me, but remember that we start sentences with capital letters.;)

Thank you. I often use to ignore the shift key when i write in forums, but I try my best to conform to the local habits. :smiley:

[asydhouse]

Hi Lenny, and welcome :smiley:

I also tend to start straight in without the capital, but I have realised it looks rubbish, and I am trying to present my posts (nicelier? more nicely! There we go, forgot how to speak English myself for a moment there! :cheesy:)

So if we see you making mistakes, we will correct you (purely for your benefit... most of the English speakers will mangle the language when they feel like it, and we will ignore the mangles in favour of the intention... which might be satirical in nature. It's the thinking that will be corrected faster than the grammar! Ha ha O0

[L.E.N.]

Yes, that was a good one.O0

Thing is: I'm a grammar nazi (except for the capitals of course, of which in german we have lots more because of all the nouns) and can hardly stand seeing a word written wrong.:cheesy:

Anyway, thanks for your nice welcome!

[mybodymyself]

My name is Jessica A. Still live with my parents, Metro New York, on the New Jersey Side of it USA. Have an fraternal twin sister as well. Born with a Neurologically based speech impairment/apraxia-dysarthria. Suffering from depression/anxiety for awhile now. Yet to reach this stage of life and etc. I'm an student of life and clerical volunteer.

[polomint38]

My name is Jessica A. Still live with my parents, Metro New York, on the New Jersey Side of it USA. Have an fraternal twin sister as well. Born with a Neurologically based speech impairment/apraxia-dysarthria. Suffering from depression/anxiety for awhile now. Yet to reach this stage of life and etc. I'm an student of life and clerical volunteer.
Welcome Jessica A :wavey:
Nice to see people from over the pond popping in. O0

[mybodymyself]

Welcome Jessica A :wavey:
Nice to see people from over the pond popping in. O0Thanx for your welcome to UKS. Yeah to what you said here.

[Jin_Shei]

Hi,

Just to introduce myself. I was lured up to BrumSkeptics (briefly) for the @Singh talk (which I missed but made the Q&A bit). I tweet as @jin_shei, previously Tiamat_r, live in Gloucestershire, and am a nurse.

[Olowkow]

Hello to everyone. I was visiting here from the JREF and found your forum quite interesting, so I decided to join you. I'll need to lurk quite a while, but I'm interested in a wide variety of topics, politics not so much.

[Bob Leggitt]

Just wanted to greet forum members ‘out of character’ for a moment and provide some idea as to what exactly is going on.

Whilst my posts may appear completely unhinged, their ultimate aim is to encourage people to think for themselves, to ask questions, and to stop accepting the managed rhetoric of life’s scammers – exactly what I imagine most contributors to this forum seek to achieve.

I believe that one of the most effective ways to challenge face-value acceptance of far-fetched claims is to satirise them. I also feel that wacky presentation can engage people who wouldn’t normally consider an opinion contrary to their own. My posts are experimental, obviously, and I know they won’t be to everyone’s taste, but my hope is that they'll add another facet to the wealth of material already in place on UK-Skeptics.

It's hard to know how you'll be perceived as a newcomer in a different environment. I am a member of another forum (completely different subject matter), but they're well used to idiotic posts so they didn't find my ramblings in any way strange. Here, you're often seeking to expose characters who say sillier things than I do, and who take themselves entirely seriously. That probably made my entrance confusing, so I thought I should come and qualify my actions.

I felt a bit cheeky starting a humour thread (Two Psychics Break Ranks…) outside the humour section, but I don’t see it as pure humour. To me, it has as serious a goal as any material on the forum, and in my experience, humour has a lot more impact where you wouldn’t expect to see it.

Anyway, I’d like to express thanks to those who’ve encouraged the thread, and to say that I’ve found lots of great content on the forum, which so many more people should see.

Unfortunately, that’s about my limit when it comes to sanity. So I plan to be back with Victoria in my capacity as a psychic either at or before the weekend.

Oh, and to answer Harryprice's question: Have I ever considered myself really psychic? For as long as I can remember I've considered myself as psychic as anyone who's ever made such a claim. Whether that's a yes or a no depends, of course, on whether I believe any psychic is really psychic. I hope you won't mind me leaving that conclusion for you to reach.

All the best, everyone.

[Croydon Bob]

Just wanted to greet forum members ‘out of character’ for a moment and provide some idea as to what exactly is going on.

:wavey:

I googled "Bob Leggitt" and there seem to be some real ones out there...